The rheological, holding, and film-forming properties of polymers and copolymers have contributed immensely to their usefulness in a wide variety of personal care compositions. Products containing such polymers and copolymers include hairsprays, shampoos, hair conditioners, skin creams and lotion, make-up products, antiperspirants and deodorants, shaving creams, topical drug compositions, sunscreen products, and the like. Consumers are constantly seeking products providing improved performance benefits. In their quest to improve upon current products and to create new products, scientists and formulators are continually seeking to develop new key ingredients for such products.
Because polymers play such an important role in the formulation of many personal care products, a need exists for new polymers having new and useful properties. In the hair care area, for example, style retention is generally accomplished by application of either permanent chemical alteration products or temporary styling products. A permanent chemical alteration product, which is commonly referred to as a "hair perm," typically involves treating the hair with various sulfur-containing compounds in order to break the disulfide bonds in the hair fibers, thereby enabling one to alter the shape and orientation of the hair fibers. However, hair perm products have the disadvantage of being harsh and damaging to the hair, and of being long-lasting and difficult to reverse. Conversely, temporary styling products generally do not break the chemical bonds in the hair fibers. These temporary styling products typically are in the form of gels, lotions, mousses, or sprays containing polymeric resins or gums for coating the hair fibers and bonding them together. Many temporary styling products are inconvenient to use and have the disadvantage of not allowing one to readily restyle the hair after the initial application and styling is completed, without further application of additional product. It would be preferable to deliver styling and hold benefits using rinse-off products such as conditioners and shampoos. These types of rinse-off products, however, require styling agents that are substantive to the hair and not readily removed during the rinsing process. Especially useful styling and hold agents for rinse-off compositions are hydrophobic polymeric materials. Such hydrophobic materials, however, may cause a buildup of an unsightly visible residue on the hair with repeated usage. This residue can eventually completely surround the hair shaft and can be difficult to remove with normal shampooing. A need, therefore, exists for improved compositions for providing temporary styling and hold of human hair without the residue and negatives often associated with such compositions.
It has surprisingly been found that hair care products comprising a copolymer complex comprising a copolymer having at least one acid functional monomer and at least one fatty amine complexed with the acid functional monomer provide excellent temporary styling and hold benefits in addition to improved "wash off" characteristics. The copolymer complex of the present invention is soluble or dispersible in and readily deposited by hydrophobic solvent components, yet easily washed away by aqueous surfactant solutions. These compositions can be made into any of a number of conventional forms including, but not limited to, shampoos, conditioners, mousses, gels, lotions, sprays and the like.
In addition to the afore-mentioned hair care benefits, it has been found that the copolymer complex and volatile, hydrophobic solvent component of the present invention are also useful for incorporation into a wide variety of cosmetic and pharmaceutical compositions for topical application to the skin. These materials provide topical compositions which are more easily and uniformly spread upon the skin, which feel good upon the skin, and yet are highly substantive. Furthermore, these compositions are useful for providing occlusion to enhance the penetration of a wide variety of cosmetic and pharmaceutical actives into the skin, or alternatively, through the skin for systemic delivery.
The compositions of the present invention comprise a copolymer complex and a volatile, hydrophobic solvent component suitable for application to the hair or skin. The copolymer complex comprises a copolymer having at least one acid functional monomer and at least one fatty amine complexed with the acid functional monomer.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide copolymer complexes having improved solubility or dispersibility characteristics.
It is another object of the present invention to provide copolymer complexes that are soluble or dispersible in hydrophobic solvent components, and yet are readily washed away by aqueous surfactant solutions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide personal care compositions in the form of hair care compositions having improved styling and/or hold properties and having improved aesthetics.
It is another object of the present invention to provide personal care compositions in the form of topical cosmetic and pharmaceutical compositions useful for delivering and retaining a wide variety of cosmetic materials and pharmaceutical actives to and/or through the skin.
It is another object of the present invention to provide rinse off compositions useful for styling and holding hair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for styling and holding the hair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for delivering and retaining to the skin cosmetic materials and pharmaceutical actives.
These and other objects will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.